Emilia reached out toward Orion, who kicked his breastplate into a hedge. "You don't want to be an Archangel?"
"I don't want to be like them! I don't want to be someone whose name tastes foul in someone else's mouth. I want to be better. Samael and Azrael, they're happy being monsters. I just... don't worry about it. I'm sure they've abducted Remiel by now. The Brothers wouldn't have been able to hold them off for long. May I escort you back to Jeremiel's home?" Orion refused to look up, picking at the buckles on his forearm bracers rather than facing the Seraphim's wife.
"But are you alright?" Emilia felt sympathy for the Arch wash over her. She wasn't sure why he chose to share his internal identity struggles with her- but she felt it may have been because she was one of the only women he had encountered, someone who didn't expect him to be strong.
"I'm not sure. But surely the others must be getting worried about you by now. We've been gone and I didn't say anything before I took you away from the house. They probably think I tried to do something awful... we really need to get you back, Emilia." Concern etched itself deeply into Orion's features as he spoke.
Raguel appeared behind Orion, grasping the Archangel by his wings. "I found you, you little bastard! You think you can take off with my Brother's wife and we won't do anything?"
Emilia gasped, Raguel's sudden appearance surprising her as Orion grunted from the pain. "Raguel, wait, stop! He's not here to hurt me!"
"He took you from Gabriel! What's going on?" Raguel still held Orion, refusing to let go until he had his answers.
"He saw the knife before Samael threw it! He tried to save me from the Twins before anything could happen to me! He tried to get me out of there before I could get hurt."
Raguel eased his grip on the Archangel, his disbelief not allowing him to let go completely. "Is that true?"
Orion nodded, gnashing his jaw shut from the pain in his wings. Raguel released him, and the Arch stumbled forward. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I saw the weapon, I didn't want the lady to see such awful things! It's part of the knight's code, to protect women from harm!"
Raguel crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Knights? That's a human concept. Why do you care about what they do?"
Emilia stepped forward, quietly telling Raguel what the young Arch had told her about his time with Raphael.
Raguel shifted his weight back and forth as he frowned, and gave a small grunt of acceptance. "Alright then. Take her back to Gabriel. He's still at Jeremiel's home. Emilia, Samael hurt your husband when he threw the knife. He will be needing you and your care. I'm going to find Jeremiel and let him know I've found you and you're safe." He disappeared, leaving Emilia and Orion behind.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Twin Archs, with Remiel between them, stepped between the realms to appear before the Ruler in the Great Hall. They heavily tossed the Seraphim forward, Remiel skidding forward as he landed.
The Ruler leaned forward in His throne, interest dancing across His face. "What have you brought forth today, Samael?"
Azrael kicked Remiel's boot as he approached the throne, bowing, spreading his wings to mirror his twin. "We have brought a disrespectful one to You, Mighty Ruler. He dared to speak of the Fallen by name after Your decree."
Remiel gathered the little strength he had to push himself onto his hands and knees, his wings hanging limply on either side of his body, trailing to the ground. His fragile figure heaved as he tried to catch his breath from the effort, and he lifted his head to face the Ruler.
"Is this true, Seraphim Remiel?"
He dropped his head, unable to expend the effort any further. "I did. I feel so much guilt about what I did to my Brother...I hear his screams when I try to sleep..."
The Ruler cut off Remiel's trembling words. "You did the right thing. He made his choices. You just sped up the process before he did lasting damage to your kind. Stand up, stop being a waste of emotion. As for breaking My decree..." The Ruler waved the Twin Archs forward. "Azrael, go back to your territory, bring Me Azazel and Zadkiel. Samael, hold onto the Seraphim."
Samael hauled Remiel to his feet as Azrael disappeared. The Seraphim trembled in the Archangel's grasp, terrified as to why two additional Archs were being summoned. Seconds passed like minutes, and minutes dragged like hours as Remiel waited to see the horrors that would come back to the Palace with Azrael.
After an agonizing wait, Azrael returned with an armored man with black wings, black shaggy hair, and eyes as black as the abyss. The new Arch had an insane twist to his lips, as if he was gleeful to be called upon for whatever punishment the Ruler was going to have him participate in. A second man with red hair and a short-trimmed beard followed behind the other two, his black wings stretching wide as he stepped between the realms. Remiel squirmed in Samael's grasp as the two new Archangels stepped toward the Ruler, earning him a punch in his stomach from his guardian Arch. Doubling over, Remiel groaned.
The two new arrivals bowed, their black wings splayed parallel to the floor. "Greetings, Mighty Ruler," their deep voices harmonized as they spoke, the Ruler showing arrogant satisfaction with the Archangels' display.
"Good evening Azazel, Zadkiel. You may stand. I have summoned you here for assistance with My disappointment of a Seraphim here. Remiel seems to believe that he can ignore My decrees regarding the mentioning of the Fallen by name, and we must make an example of him."
The red-haired Archangel bowed his head. "Mighty Ruler, what would you like us to do?"
"Excellent question, Zadkiel." The Ruler gave a snap of His fingers, and chains leapt from the floor of the Great Hall, shackles securing themselves around Remiel's wrists and ankles. "Pull a feather."
Zadkiel hesitated a moment, and grasped one of Remiel's feathers between his fingers. He pulled the feather free from the wing, hearing Remiel wince.
The Ruler gave a nod of approval. "Azazel, Azrael, on Remiel's left. Samael, join Zadkiel on his right." The Archangels took their designated positions around the chained Seraphim, and looked toward the throne, waiting for their instructions. "Azazel, same thing." Azazel pulled a second feather, Remiel grunting as the assault on his wings continued. "Samael, your turn." A third feather fell, the sounds of pain growing louder. "Azrael, go." Remiel's wing jerked involuntarily as he lost another feather.
"Keep going until he has none left. He must learn that My decrees are law. His bare wings will serve as an excellent warning to the others." The Ruler leaned back in His throne, watching as Remiel fell to his knees.
Remiel watched as the plumage on his wings slowly became sparse as his feathers gathered near his feet, hearing Michael's screams in his mind. Tears gathered in his eyes as he realized the screams were his own.